Japan. Travel futures and logs!

thanks for the replies john. you can edit this question if it's too vague but do you think it is just time - or "the time" for japanese artists to want to look beyond, or are there unique and exciting techniques you for example are using that they are not? my experience with ceramics is just what i see and pieces i own. your insights into creating pieces is always appreciated.thanks again.

Hello Tea friends, I have been quite absent from this forum over the past year. A lot was going on in my life and still is, and a lot of it has to do with tea. I was accepted into Urasenke's Midorikai program. This is a program for non Japanese residents to live in kyoto for a year and study Chado at the Urasenke center. I was awarded a full scholarship and a sponsorship so I am completely free to put all my focus on my studies. I would love some input from my fellow tea enthusiast on sights to see, places to drink tea, and experiences you would recommend during my years stay here. I will be extremely busy with my studies but I will have some free time. A large part of my studies includes seeing temples, museums, historical sites, and also meeting a lot of different types of people in the tea world. Your input is greatly appreciated.

I have been here a little over a week now. They have really had an intense schedule for right from the start. I will post a few photos and some info about the trip soon. I have been enjoying a lot of good matcha and seeing some amazing tea ware. The midorikai program defiantly gives us a special access pass to things not available to tourists or even most Japanese residents.

Today was interesting Oiemoto Zabosai preformed a memorial for hideyoshi at his grave site (if you know the history behind hideyoshi and rikyu this would seem very odd). We then attended a kenchashiki and enjoyed great tea and a great meal. Sadly no photos are allowed in the historical tea rooms. (Or almost any tea room during Chado for that matter.) I did get a few photos of the outside portion though. This is the ceremonial Dana used, notice the white fukusa and the in unlacquered natsume.